The Zon Hearing Aid by Los Angeles industrial designer Stuart Karten for Eden Prairie, MN-based Starkey Laboratories has been honored with two prestigious design awards: the People’s Design Award, presented by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, as well as Spark Design Award.
Developed with Starkey’s evidence-based design approach, Zōn blends world-class technology with beautiful design, ultimately providing high levels of acceptance and satisfaction for patients. Built out of moisture-resistant material, Zōn was designed to minimize the number of touchpoints on wearers’ skin with a curved, elegant shape. Even the color options were carefully considered; Starkey worked with respected cosmetics researchers to develop the sophisticated hair and skin-tone color palette, designed to complement and match natural skin tones and hair.
Zōn looks great on the outside, but it also provides best-in-class performance through the cutting-edge technology inside. Harnessing the power of BluWaveTM Signal Processing, Zōn virtually eliminates feedback with Active Feedback Intercept (AFI) and delivers the best performing directional system on the market with Directional Speech Detector (DSD), which boasts industry-leading free-field and KEMAR DIs and the lowest operational noise floor available, making speech more audible in difficult listening situations. Additionally, hearing care professionals can quickly and accurately conduct real-ear measurements with Integrated Real Ear Measurement (IREM). IREM provides the most precise fit possible, helping professionals counsel patients, reducing the number of adjustments needed for a comfortable fit and better addressing the challenges hearing aid users are facing in their environments.
Spark is a design competition focusing on change – specifically change for the better. The competition considers criteria including sustainability, suitability, context, inventiveness, process, universality and beauty. The Spark Design Awards are intended to encourage people to experience design in new ways and improve our world. Designers, art directors, ad agencies, manufacturers and other creative people and institutions have the opportunity to submit work for the Spark Design Awards.
Karten Design…
Product brochure is here…
Product page: Zōn Series…
Press releases: Starkey Laboratories Wins Spark Design Award for Zōn™ (.pdf); Zon Hearing Aid Wins the 2008 People’s Design Award…
